Last month bought three changes of significance among equipment suppliers of extruded film and sheet.•Gloucester Engineering Co., Gloucester Mass., announced it had acquired Future Design Inc., Mississauga, Ont.

Until recently, blown-film processors looking for auto-gauge control had a choice of one segmented-die system, one IBC-based system, and several segmented air rings. Now there are at least nine auto-dies, including two for high-stalk bubbles, and lots of air-ring variations. All claim to improve gauge uniformity, but there are differences.

New-generation winders for blown and cast film are winding bigger, better rolls at higher speeds and lower tension. They've gotten so fast that cast film lines can now realize their full productive potential.